Belichick stands by kicking off to start OT

All of these guys have given NY a suddenly unsafe offense that can handle themselves against New England. It’s nearly like the coaches are intentionally handcuffing this offense so as not to give too much away heading into the playoffs. I am still waiting for Jets QB Ryan Fitzpatrick to throw a pick at the worst possible time; it would be very Jets-like.

After the Patriots won the coin toss and (bizarrely) elected to kick off, Fitzpatrick lead the Jets on a 5 play, 80 yard drive that was capped off by a 6 yard touchdown pass to Eric Decker to ice the game.

After the Patriots rallied to tie in the closing minutes, Belichick instructed special teams captain Matthew Slater to say his team wanted to kick off. Slater seemed confused as to which way the Patriots would kick, but Belichick said Monday that didn’t matter because there was little or no wind.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) is pressured by New York Jets’ Sheldon Richardson (91) and Leonard Williams (92) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015, in East Rutherford, N.J.

What should have happened is that Slater should have known that the team that wins the toss can choose to kick or receive OR which goal to defend.

Belichick said he thought kicking to the Jets first “was the best thing to do”. The most scrutinized and analyzed team in the NFL gave football fans more fodder for debate, unhinged conspiracy theories, and schadenfreude with an unconventional decision to kick off after winning the coin toss for overtime. Marcus Cannon has been serviceable filling in for Vollmer at right tackle while Vollmer swung over to left for the injured Nate Solder, but it will be a tall task for Cannon to block the elite edge rushers of Denver, Cincinnati or whoever the Patriots draw in the playoffs if Vollmer is out for an extended period of time. Sunday, the strategy backfired. A Patriots defender follows Enunwa across the formation, which is a strong indicator for Fitzpatrick that the Patriots are playing man coverage. With a win next week against former coach Rex Ryan and the Buffalo Bills, New York is in. The Atlanta Falcons won 20-13. Carolina was 14-0 and gliding into the postseason. The Bengals also earn at least a bye with a win tonight while Denver gets a bye with two wins.

It’s time to shuffle off to Buffalo and ride that Bison into the playoffs.

“Atlanta”™s Julio Jones, who was expected to be blanketed by Panthers star cornerback Josh Norman, had a spectacular game with nine catches for 178 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown.

In the first, Fitzpatrick overthrew Decker on a corner fade route from the Patriots’ 12, costing the Jets a touchdown.

Wide receiver Brandon Marshall had eight receptions for 115 yards and two touchdowns, giving him a team-record 101 catches for the season. If they can avoid the turnovers, they will beat the Bills and ride a six-game winning streak straight into the playoffs. You know: “The Patriots got screwed by the refs”.

Who in their right mind wants to play Arizona?

Arizona plays host to Seattle in its regular-season finale. It was another all around solid game for the Jets.

“We didn”™t panic, that”™s the most important part,” Kansas City linebacker Derrick Johnson said of the turnaround. He also was happy that he was able to re-enter the game after a scary moment late in the fourth quarter. Fitzpatrick played for the Bills from 2009-2012, and Gailey was their head coach from 2010-2012.

The Jets believed they would make the Patriots pay for having the audacity to kick it to them first in overtime.